This year marks the sixth release of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon. This expression was chosen to honor the birthday of George Garvin Brown, the Bourbon industry???s pioneer and our founder. Unique to any other release, the latest edition of Birthday Bourbon is bottled at the same proof and barreled at the same season as 2005???s ??? the only difference? The whisky was allowed to mature in the barrel exactly one year longer. This expression is a great illustration of how subtle maturation differences make significant changes in the flavor profile of a whisky.

According to Old Forester Master Distiller, Chris Morris, a bourbon receives between 50 - 60 percent of its flavor profile from the maturation process. ???Of course both releases exhibit the classic Old Forester taste profile, but there the similarities end,??? said Morris. ???Where the 2005 vintage exhibited a rich cinnamon, spice note this vintage is naturally spiced with a cool, refreshing hint of spearmint.???

Unlike the standard Old Forester, which is a blend of whisky from several different years, Birthday Bourbon is a vintage-dated bourbon, hand-selected by Morris from one specific day. The result is a one-of-a-kind character and flavor that will never be replicated again. Its unique decanter style glass bottle is a throw back to the late 1800???s when Old Forester was first produced.

You???ll find the nose of this brownish-orange bourbon to be very sweet and powerful with strong vanilla and caramel toffee notes layering over hints of orange peel and tea leaves. There is a nice balance of oak that opens with a hint of spearmint. This year???s Birthday Bourbon taste is cool with hints of tea, mint and ripe apple fruit. And the finish is very clean, fruity and tea-like.

This is where the 2007 comes in to kick ass. This is seriously flavorful and sweetly complex without the kick. It's rich, it's long. It's all about a great Bourbon in a Rye Jacket. It sings one sweet and lovely song... and I love it.

Finish:

Lengthy, vibrant, and silky smooth.

Overall:

This still remains one of my favorite bottles of OFBB. The nose is Off-The-Charts beyond any of the others when it comes to Vanilla, Fruit, Tea notes, and Bubble Gum. The nose is a TEN!!! I can't get enough of this stuff...

Deep, rich, and I believe they've found the spring of eternal youth. Vanilla, carmel popcorn, sweet tobacco stick, and fresh sun tea, with hints of various summer fruits and fresh apple pie with a brown sugar crust.

Taste:

Same as the nose and ooooh so good!

Finish:

A medium finish with heavenly sweetness on the front and nutty wonders on the back! This stuff is dangerous to all who have the opportunity to get in trouble, because you will!

Overall:

Definately not the spring of eternal youth, because it's sooooo good, if your self discipline is not up to standards you will surely die of alcohol poisoning. Definately neat, definately top-shelf, definately get some 'cause your collection is not complete without it!